Ski Japan without the crowds or chaos

“Skiing isn’t about chasing crowds or conquering mountains — it’s about finding rhythm, space, and the simple joy of moving through snow.”

Pulling this summer-loving girl away to the snow for the first time took some convincing — I’ll be honest. Why would I choose to get cold in the middle of summer?

But Japan has a way of changing minds. Fast forward a few years and I’ve now travelled to Japan every winter season since, and it’s delivered some of our best-ever family holidays. Incredible skiing conditions, snow that far surpasses anything we’ve experienced in Australia, spectacular alpine views, and the simple joy of stopping for a steaming bowl of ramen at lunch before heading back out for long, flowing runs — often with barely a lift line in sight.

One of the smartest things we’ve done as a family is arange to meet friends from Australia over there. If you’ve travelled with your own kids, you’ll know the mix of magic and…let’s call them challenging moments.

Nothing breaks that tension quite like more kids. Everything feels lighter, the energy shifts, and suddenly everyone’s having more fun — parents included.

We’ve loved the village atmosphere of Nozawa Onsen, with its traditional charm, beautiful views and iconic onsens, but it’s definitely busier. Shiga Kogen, on the other hand, surprised us in the best possible way. It’s quieter, calmer, and vast. No queues, huge amounts of terrain, and that rare sense of space you don’t often find at major resorts.

Shiga Kogen has become one of our standout favourites. Made up of 18 interlinked ski areas accessed on a single lift pass, it offers endless variety and long cruising runs that seem to go on forever.

With around 80km of trails spread across vast, varied terrain, it’s absolute heaven for intermediates and strong cruisers — long, rolling groomers, beautiful tree runs if you know where to look, and plenty of space to explore without feeling hemmed in.

Sitting high in the Japanese Alps, Shiga Kogen delivers excellent snow quality and consistency, and because it’s remained largely Japanese owner, operated and under the radar, competition for fresh lines is refreshingly low.

We’ve skied here twice now and still haven’t covered it all. It’s the kind of place where your days fall into a beautiful rhythm — ski, onsen, eat well, sleep, repeat — without crowds or chaos. If you’re here to ski and snowboard first, and everything else second, Shiga Kogen quietly delivers every time.

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